Page 97 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

But the very next moment, anger replaced the longing. Why had he given me fifty thousand pounds, making me believe it was an inheritance? And why encourage me to come to London and establish myself in society? It was so confounding.Hewas so confounding.

Sarah stopped. “This is where I first saw you, when you went with me to help Joshua.”

It was the very spot.

Two big tears spilled from her eyes.

“What’s the matter?” I carefully knelt in front of her.

Sarah’s chin trembled, then her lip. She shook her head.

I held out my arms to her and she relaxed into me. We stood there embracing each other, and I had to make a huge effort to keep my own tears from falling. Being able to comfort her seemed to heal something insideme.

The other children came near. Annabelle put an arm around Sarah, and Joshua and Samuel patted her on the back.

Sarah pushed herself out of my arms as she took a deep breath, which seemed to dry up the tears. Lord Brookhaven was watching us.

“All will be well,” he said. “You will never be alone again. Miss Robbins, Lady Derringer, and I will make sure of that.”

Sarah nodded. Then she took Joshua’s hand, and we continued walking toward the park.

The children played blindman’s buff and hide-and-seek, and Lord Brookhaven and I watched.

After half an hour, I asked, “Why did you do it?” I tried to keep an even tone, without accusation. “I just want to know.”

“I wanted to give you choices. I wanted you to know what it was like to be able to do what you wanted in life.”

I sat and pondered his words, directing my gaze to the children and their game, but not really seeing them. Why would he want to give me choices?

I was about to ask him, but just then, Joshua fell and Sarah cried out, “Joshua, you need to be more careful” in her best older-sister tone. “Do you want your arm to grow back crooked?”

As they raised their voices at each other, I wondered if I should intervene, but Gretchen began talking quietly to them, and soon they stopped arguing and started playing again.

Annabelle came over and looked pleadingly at Lord Brookhaven. “Can Joshua and Sarah come home with us?”

“It is all right with me,” Lord Brookhaven said, “but you’ll have to ask Miss Robbins.”

The other children came running up to ask the same thing.

“Yes, it’s all right, but you can’t be arguing.”

“We won’t,” they all chorused.

“I think they’re ready for their tea,” Gretchen said with a matronly smile. I couldn’t help wondering if she’d be willing to share her mothering ways with a whole orphanage full of children.

We started on our way home, and I noticed Joshua’s eyelids were heavy and his feet were starting to drag. He wasn’t used to walking and running so much.

A minute later, Joshua stumbled. Without a word, Lord Brookhaven scooped him up, carrying him in his arms.

Sarah and Annabelle held hands and talked to Samuel as we went, the footman and Gretchen trailing the children.

The next week was a whirlwind of activity, accompanying Lady Derringer and Lord Brookhaven to call on various wealthy Londoners who might be interested in helping to start an orphanage and school.

One day, Lord Brookhaven, Lady Derringer, and I were having tea and discussing what we needed to do to secure a second building to house boys. I was secretly thinking that I couldn’t bear to separate Sarah and Joshua. It felt cruel to do so.

“There is a building close to the docks,” Lord Brookhaven was saying, “that might be suitable for the boys. But Lady Derringer knows a clergyman who has started an orphanage in his parish, not too far from here. He has a rather dilapidated building. It needs work, but it’s large. The only problem is funds.”

“We were thinking,” Lady Derringer said, setting down her teacup, “that we might be able to work with him, fundraising and otherwise. He already has the necessary permits. His name is Gabriel Johnson, and he’s agreed to meet with us tomorrow.”